


20 Years After

by Oswald_Nygmobblepot



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 00:23:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10955838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oswald_Nygmobblepot/pseuds/Oswald_Nygmobblepot
Summary: Batman finds Nygma 20 years after his disappearance. Riddles have been popping up around Gotham, but is it really Edward that's been leaving them?





	20 Years After

Edward sighed deeply as he came into his dark, dingy apartment, his keys clattering on the small entryway table as he dropped his satchel on the floor with a hard thunk. He clicked a light on, the room dimly lighting up before he moved into the kitchen to start the coffee pot. He was exhausted, and his day wasn’t even over yet. His first shift of the day ran him from 6AM to 2PM and for most people that was it, that was their day. But not for Ed … Ed’s second job ran him from 3PM to 7PM. The shift he’d just finished. He’d have exactly ten minutes to wash the grease smell off of himself, five minutes to change into his next uniform, and fifteen minutes to make it to his next job which ran from 8PM to 2AM. This left him with a whole two and a half hours to sleep … But he had no choice. He ran his hands over his face as he went to the fridge, grabbed a piece of leftover chicken he’d gotten from work the night before and ate it quickly. That was two minutes now taken away from his shower … 

As he threw the bones into the garbage he moved back into the living room to grab his uniform where he’d left it and paused. There was something not right … Something was … Off. He looked around the dim room but saw nothing. 

“Nygma.” Edward jumped, spinning and moved away from the shadowy figure in the corner. He backed away from him, tripping over the coffee table and falling on the floor on the other side. It had been twenty years since he’d left Gotham … twenty years since he’d gone by Nygma … and twenty years since he’d seen- 

“Batman …” Edward said as he stood up, the man in question moving out of the shadows. “What do you want?” Edward asked picking up his uniform from the floor where he’d dropped it. 

“Someone has been dropping riddles around Gotham.” Batman said. “Left quite a few of your calling cards.” He said. “I want to know why you’ve come back to Gotham.” 

“In case you haven’t noticed Batman … I’m presently in Brooklyn.” Edward said. “I haven’t been to Gotham in twenty years.” 

“You’re only a twenty minute drive from Gotham …” Batman said pulling out some photos from his utility belt. “I have a hard time believing you aren’t capable of driving.” He said handing him the photos. Edward looked at them suspiciously before he took them, flipping through the images. True enough … It did look like his work. 

“I suppose in your old age, you’ve gotten lackadaisical in your detective work.” He said handing him the photos back. “I’m too old for this Batman … I haven’t done anything.” 

“Then you wouldn’t mind coming with me to the GCPD, and we can have this sorted out.” Batman said taking a step closer to him. Edward backed away from him. 

“You have no proof that this was me, but I can provide you proof it wasn’t. Since you seem to be lacking on your detective skills lately, I work from 6-2 at Burger Barn, you can check their security cameras, I’ve been there the past five days, every single one of my shifts.” 

“That leaves you plenty-” 

“I’m not done, Batman.” Edward said. “I then work 3-7 at Fry Guys, and then 8-2 working security at an empty warehouse.” Edward said. “All of them have security cameras, punch clocks, employee witnesses that I have been there all five of my shifts this week … Now if you’ll excuse me Batman I have a job to be at.” He said turning to move towards the bedroom to change, now no longer having time to shower. Which he was sure he’d hear about from his boss when he got there. 

He felt a hard hand grasp his arm, stopping him from going. “What do you want, Batman? I have no motive for these crimes, even if I didn’t have proof, it … wasn’t … me.” He said staring him directly in the eyes.

“You have plenty of motive for these crimes Nygma …” Batman said. “You’re working three minimum wage jobs, you’re barely making it by as it is, on top of the fact that you have a child in the hospital, with no mother in the picture, and growing medical bills. The money stolen was placed into a dummy bank account under the name of Edwin Quandary.” He said looking down at the shorter man. “You stole this money, faked the security footage, bribed or threatened the people you work with into covering for you. Once the heat was off of you, you’d pay off your child’s hospital bills and likely run at first chance you got. It’s your MO Edward … Don’t deny it. This would be the easy way out.” 

“When have you ever known me to take the easy way out Batman …” He said trying to pull his arm away. “I’m not you.” He said making Batman flinch questioningly. Batman let go of his arm and Edward moved away from him towards the hallway in the direction of his bedroom to change once again. 

“All it would take is one phone call Edward …” Batman said. “Even a slight suspicion that you are involved in this, and your child would be taken away from you.” Edward spun on his heel so quickly he was amazed he didn’t get dizzy. He advanced on Batman, the uniform falling from his hand to the floor. 

“You can do whatever you want to me Batman, we both know that. But don’t you EVER threaten my child again …” He said angrily, though Batman didn’t back down in the slightest. 

“I’m not threatening you Edward … I’m telling you what will happen if you continue down this path.” He said. Edward shook his head. 

“You know … You’re very pathetic.” Edward said. “You have no idea who this is, you know it’s likely a copycat, and yet you are taking the easy way and blaming me.” He said shaking his head. “Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised, you’ve always had it easy haven’t you?” Batman said nothing as Edward continued. “You think you haven’t … But you have. Poor orphan boy, lost his parents in an alleyway, watched them die, boo hoo. Welcome to the majority of the world but guess what … You’re in the rare percentage that actually hasn’t had to struggle through their life.” He said. “Sure you’ve had to mourn for your parents, a lot of people do, you just happened to have lost them a lot sooner than most. But guess what … You had parents that cared about you for almost twelve years. Some of us would consider that lucky. But no, that’s not good enough for you. It doesn’t matter to you that you have wealth, and people who still care about you, YOU STILL HAVE A FAMILY!!!” Edward yelled. “You don’t know what it’s like to struggle …” 

“I do …” Batman said simply, wondering how Edward knew all this. Knew who he was. “How do you know who I am?” 

“I’ve always known. I just pretended not to once I figured it out. I didn’t want the game to end, did I?” He asked. “But I’m not playing now. I haven’t in twenty years. You think you know what it’s like to struggle because you left for … What? Seven years? Put yourself into poverty, struggled for a bit, you think you know, but you don’t. You never did! You were starving, great, you had to steal to survive, great … You knew you still had wealth back home, you never had to deal with the fact that starving to death might be a possibility. You’ve had to steal, to survive? You got arrested for committing crimes so that you would understand what we go through? What it’s like to be one of us? You didn’t HAVE to do any of that … In the back of your mind you knew that this was an option … That a simple phone call would have your butler come running to you and you’d be back to your mansion and your wealth and your family.” Edward was clearly angrily, though his voice was calm. “You think you know what it’s like being one of us … And you don’t … You think you’re helping people, you’re not. You created most of us … You brought attention to Gotham and instead of getting rid of the crime as you wanted to, you created more.” Edward shook his head. “If you want to help, actually do something. Don’t just strut around standing in shadows, breaking into people’s apartments and making threats to their children. Even I didn’t stoop that low.” 

There was silence between them as Edward stared at him and Batman actually looked away from him. “I did try to help you all.” 

“No … You didn’t …” Edward said. “Bruce Wayne helped us … You … This …” He said indicating the suit. “This didn’t help anyone … This helped catch us and place us back behind bars, it scared people … But had you given this technology to the police department, they could have done the same thing … Instead of making this all about yourself to make yourself feel better about losing your parents, about making yourself feel better by trying to be something, you could have put that energy into helping the people that were causing the problems. Bruce Wayne did that … He turned Arkham into a better treatment facility, he weeded out the insane doctors who were experimenting on us, the security guards that were torturing us, actually came there to see if we were okay … He didn’t come there to scare us like you do … He gave us the means to get better, and in doing so made Gotham better.” He said. “You may think you’re Bruce Wayne, and by day you might be … But you’re not when you’re like this. Like this, you’re no better than we were.” 

They stared at each other in silence, Batman no longer looking as intimidating as he had when he’d first come in. “Get out of my apartment.” Edward said. “I’m late for work.” He said turning back to the hallway and was surprised that Batman didn’t try to stop him again. He changed quickly and when he came back he wasn’t surprised to see Batman gone. He sighed and shook his head before leaving for work, trying to think of some excuse as to why he was late … Again. 

\--- 

Edward came into his apartment, nearly dead on his feet as it neared three AM. He was grateful that he was off tomorrow, at least he’d get more than two hours of sleep tonight. He knew he’d still feel tired tomorrow, and likely sunday as well. His sleeping hours were insane. He either got too little sleep when he worked, or too much sleep on the weekends, which either option left him tired and exhausted. But he had to … He had to pay of Plex’s medical bills. He had to make a better life for him, that’s all that mattered anymore. 

The riddles, the puzzles, the crimes … They’d been behind him for years. Since he met Ryann. She’d been the world to him, and then Plex was born, and she died … Edward shook his head. Plex was all he had left anymore. 

He took a deep breath as he sat down on his couch, rubbing his hands over his face again. He’d have to shave tomorrow, he was getting careless in his appearance. 

He opened his eyes and looked down at the coffee table, pausing when he saw something he hadn’t before. An envelope. 

He knew who it was from and shook his head. He picked it up and pulled it open, pulling out two pieces of paper. 

“Edward, you were right. It was a copycat. She has been apprehended. Please accept my apologies. I have taken the liberty of paying off your son’s medical bills, as well as I’d like you to come back to Gotham. There will be a formal interview, but there is a job opening at Wayne Enterprises I feel would be suitable for someone of your intellect. The job starts at $23 an hour to start, has options for advancement, and good benefits. 

I know it is not like you to accept charity, and you’re likely to crumple up this paper, but I’d like you to have the option, this offer will stand for the next year. Please take your time in deciding if you would like the job. 

-Bruce Wayne.” 

Bruce Wayne … He hadn’t signed it Batman, as he’d been expecting. For some reason the letter made him angry. He should be grateful that his son's medical bills are paid off but … He squeezed the paper in both of his hands, as if he were about to tear it but stopped. It angered him that this man could provide for his son, give him things that he couldn’t … It angered him that he felt insufficient as a father … But if he declined … 

What type of father would he be? 

He uncrumpled the paper and took a deep breath. On the second paper, there were details of the job, and a phone number to call to schedule his interview. He stared at the paper for a while before he picked up the phone and dialed. 

((A/N - I hope you enjoyed. Plex's full name is Complex Ryan Nashton, as Edward changed his name back to Edward Nashton when he'd left Gotham. Please leave a comment or review or kudos. I love them all!)


End file.
